To Trust Again
by StarbuckStar
Summary: Tony gets captured and locked up for 4 years.When they finally find out his location,Gibbs is determined to rescue him but the mission is more difficul than it seems,for on top of all the dangers they must face, Gibbs must also fight to earn Tony's trust
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings:**

-English is my second language, and I think it's pretty clear what that little piece of info implies (Uhm) No, honestly, if mistakes, lots of them, offend you, you might want to skip this one.

-This is a friendship ONLY story.

-If you're interested in more, please let me know.

**Summary:**

Tony gets captured and locked up for 4 years & when they finally knew his location,Gibbs was determined to rescue him, but the mission is more difficul than it seems, for on top of all the dangers and risks they must face, Gibbs must also fight to earn Tony's trustafter the young agent lost all memories of his past, which proves to be the most difficult task of all, but Gibbs vows to make Tony trust him again, for their survival depends on his success.

**To Trust Again**

**Part 1**

As the cold-savage slap of the water greeted his already sore body, Tony did nothing but gasp at the shocking encounter. After all, he didn't expect to be pushed from behind so abruptly. He didn't even have the chance to turn and see his pusher before his body flipped, his foot met space instead of solid as it tried to stop his fall, and his whole momentum pitched forward, and down his body went, flying in a seemingly blinding speed toward the unwelcoming clutches of the freezing river. Nor did Tony have the privilege of knowing what was going to hit him before it did; it was pitch-black, probably too dark to even recognize his own hand if it was in front of his eyes.

He was sinking, and in a far and tiny place in his sleepy mind, he knew he was going to die. The cold water slowly numbed his senses, and for one short moment, he was actually glad for the soothing peace. Tony welcomed the painless road that darkness promised him as it persistently tugged at his mind, invinting him to its eternal depth. But the peace did not last long, Tony was jolted back to reality by intense pain invading his lungs. He realised, with panic, that he could not breathe. His arms started to spin and his legs began to kick, yet, his wild moves did little to push him upward. The metals around his wrists and ankles were pulling him down. Fear and panic set in as he realised there was no hope, no escape. The vast emptiness of the river surrounded him with its death-grip, and just as his life started to fade, he suddenly felt arms grip him from both sides, and then, he was steered upward.

It seemed like eternity before Tony reached the surface. He gulped hungrily, almost aggressively at the sweet air greeting him after such awful despair. He was lifted shortly afterwards by strong arms, hauled, then rolled on a solid surface. He wondered for a second if it was a boat, but was too dazed and exhausted to care. His ears were ringing painfully and he thought he heared a voice wheezing excitedly before realising it was his own. Two figures swam in front of his blury vision, their lips were moving, he knew they were talking to him but the ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing what they were saying. He kept his eyes locked on one of the figures for a lengthy moment, thinking it was strangely familiar, before deciding to close his eyes tiredly. A second later, he felt his head being lifted slightly upward and a mask was placed over his nose and mouth, providing him with clear-delicious bites of oxygen.

Gibbs saw Tony's eyes hold his for a moment, and saw the flicker of recognition passing over the young man's pale features before he finally surrendered to exhaustion. Gibbs didn't help but feel rage build inside of him as he saw Tony lying still and vulnerable in front of his very eyes, thinking that he could have been, "must have been", the same way in front of his enemies. He turned to the man sitting beside him examining Tony. "Will he be all right?"

"I think he will." and he used two fingers forcing Tony's eye open to expose it to the light of the small flashlight he held, already realising that the young man lying in front of him had slipped into deep unconsciousness.

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

"Tony! Can you hear me? Come on Kid, open your eyes for me!"

Tony grunted and turned his head away from the niggling voice that disturbed his peace, but it was useless, he was already awake, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not will the darkness to return, so instead, he cocked one eye open to stare carefully at the smiling face peering at him smugly.

"That a boy!"

Tony frowned at the old man standing before him, then blinked his eyes few times to clear his vision. "Whe..Where am I?" Pausing as he could hardly recognize his own voice, Tony took a moment to wet his throat, except it was useless, his throat was so dry, even swallowing proved to be difficult.

"I think the Kid needs a drink," a new voice suggested, but it was said in a tone firm with authority that made it clear it was no less than an order."

Tony shifted his head a little so he could see the other person occupying the room. Slightly old, but definitely younger than the other man, Tony decided as he eyed the new man carefully.

Accepting the cup of water from the older, much bigger man, Gibbs nodded his head, making a silent request for privacy. The old man nodded, then left the room with no more than half a glance toward Tony.

Gibbs walked to Tony's bed, studying the younger man's face as he pulled a chair near the bed and sat down. Although Gibbs made sure his face held no expression, Tony did not help but feel that Gibbs eyes were searching for something, demanding something of him. He gulped nervously.

"Can you get up?" extending the cup toward him, Gibbs questioned gruffly.

Tony nodded before he even tried. Using his arms, he pushed his weak body into an upright position, groaning in the process. Gibbs offered him the cup but Tony didn't take it. Puzzled, Gibbs looked up and frowned at the strange expression that haunted Tony's face.

"Where the hell are my clothes?" Tony demanded as he pulled the cover even tighter around his naked body.

Gibbs eyes were hard as he stared at him. "You must be kidding!"

When Tony's expression remained the same, Gibbs shook his head in wonder. "Chill out, we'll get you new ones. They were too ruined for a re-use."

Tony's eyes still regarded him with suspicion, but at least he seemed to loosen up a little. He accepted the cup then took long, hungry gulps of water. Gibbs sighed, stood up then went to the door to speak with someone hidden from Tony's view. "Do me a favor, get the kid new clothes, any you could find." Then he turned back to his seat and sat down.

"Who are you?" Gibbs froze. He expected the question, but nevertheless...

"My name is Gibbs."

"So, when will I be going back?"

"Back?" Gibbs regarded Tony with a puzzled look.

"You know," Tony shrugged, then added exasperately when Gibbs remained silent, "Back to prison."

Gibbs face remained expressionless. "I guess you were too out of it yesterday to realise it."

"Huh!"

"You're not going back Dinozzo," Gibbs stated, "Yesterday we busted you out of that hell-prison and now I'll make sure you return home safely."

Tony blinked, confused. "Why would, .."

"What do you remember, Tony?" Gibbs cut him off rather rudely.

"Remember?"

Gibbs nodded. "Tell me what you remember."

Tonny took a deep breath. "There was a riot, then.., then the lights were out. There was screaming, and bullets flying..I didn't want to leave, honest, but people started pushing me, and I couldn't really see what's going on and.."

"About your past Dinozzo. I meant, what do you remember about your past?"

Gibbs saw Tony stiffen then their eyes met. "Who cares! Not like it's any of your business."

"Right now it is."

"Cut the crap!" Tony snapped angrily, "Stop messing with me, and just spit it out! What is it that you want me to confess?"

Gibbs hand suddenly flew to Tony's face and grabbed his chin forcefully earning a surprised gasp from the younger man. Tony's hands went up to clutch at Gibbs' trying to prise the hand off, but Gibbs didn't budge.

"Listen, Dinozzo, yesterday I risked my neck and those of my friends to get you out, now the least you could do is trust me."

"I would never trust you, believe me!" Tony spat at him,"You're one of them, I'm sure of it."

Taken aback by Tony's outburst and the bitterness that laced his words, Gibbs let go.

"Don't touch me gain," Tony warned as he rubbed his sore chin, and as of defying him, Gibbs did just that. He grabbed his left wrist and pulledthe arm straight. Turning it, Gibbs stared at the various needle marks decorating the inside of Tony's left arm.

"They've been drugging you with God knows what," Gibbs muttered angrily.

Tony just stared at him.

"How often did they drug you?"

"Like you don't know!"

Gibbs ignored the statement. "How often?"

"Every day."

"It's either the drugs or the bumps on your head that affected your memory," Gibbs concluded as he stood up. "we'll know once we get you checked up."

"Enough of this, tell me what you want from me."

Gibbs shot him a fiery glare. "Whether you want to believe it or not, once upon a time we were..friends, and whether you're willing to trust me or not will not make a difference, I'll make sure you return home safely, even if I have to force you."

"Why bother yourself?"

Again, Gibbs ignored his derision. "Right now we're safe here. The man you saw earlier, his name is Martin, he's a...friend of mine, and we're in his house. I'm sure they already started looking for you, that's why it's too risky to take you to a hospital"

"I don't need a hospital."

"Talking to you is useless," And with that Gibbs left the room slamming the door not so gently behind him.

A few minutes later a middle-aged man with a light beard entered the room leaving Tony some food and new clothes. Tony was grateful for both.

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

"So how did it go?" Martin asked as he sat beside Gibbs.

"Not so good."

"I thought so. You know the Kid must've gone through hell back there."

"You think I don't know that?" Gibbs growled.

Martin shrugged. "You can always quit, afterall, you're on your own in this."

"I won't quit."

"Gibbs, if you want this crazy plan of yours to work, you need his trust, and you saw it yourself, the Kid will not trust anyone."

"I'll make it happen." Martin looked at Gibbs and saw his eyes luster with determination.

"I'll make him trust me again."

**TBC**

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

**P.S. **-Unfortunately, I never had the chance to watch the show since they don't air it here in Kuwait. True, I read lots about it, but still, so maybe it's better to consider this an AU story. Sorry if the characters seem out of character.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:**

-Thank you all so much for the wonderful and encouraging reviews, you don't know how much I appreciate them! I promise to do my best

-I'm so sorry for the long delay, I had this sitting in my computer for awhile now, but the thing is, I was waiting for a friend of mine that promised to go through everything before I post it,and she never showed up,so I decided to post what I have anyway. I know everything is getting more complicated and confusing, but I can't help it I started with this simple idea at the beginning but its getting more complicated everytime I start typing, as I said I really can't help it.

**-This is a Post Twilight story!**

-In response to **hauntedhope's **question I found out about the show by coincidence. I was checking the Tv Series section in and came across navy-ncis. Since it had a large number of stories, I got curious. Of course since I had nothing else to do, I went to and checked it out. My interest grew once I realised that Michael Weatherly (loved him in Dark Angel), and David McCallum (loved him in The Man From U.N.C.L.E) were in it, so I started to look for pages about the show and read about the story and characters. I even read the episodes guide and checked some screencaps.

-In response to **CC's **review: You are propably right, Gibbs was a little harsh on Tony, but I wrote what was playing in my mind at that time and it madesense to me then. I hope you will feel the same way in the future, if you keep reading, that is. **And if you thought that was harsh, you won't believe what Tony will do to Gibbs soon ; )**

**-Thanks to AndyCake's advice, this part was edited. **

**To Trust Again**

**Part 2**

McGee's patience wore thin as he waited for Abby outside the interrogation room. His foot tapped the floor nervously and a heartfelt sigh escaped his lips when he looked up at the still closed door. He wondered what was taking so long and why they haven't spent half as much time questioning him. Before he could start pacing back and forth again, the door opened and Abby stepped out. His eyes searched hers eagerly and although she looked pale and tired, she managed to flash him a reassuring smile that instantly soothed his worry. Behind her, the man who was his tormentor for the past week, followed. He looked, to McGee's satisfaction, worse than Abby, which, the young agent decided, served him right. Massaging his aching temple, the man glared lividly at both of them. "I don't have to remind you, if you remember anything..."

"We'll let you know," Abby cut him off, already striding away toward the exit door. Once outside, she took a moment to stretch her sore back and inhale a mouthful of fresh air. McGee came right behind her.

"So how did it go?"

"No different than the others."

McGee hesitated for a second before reaching out to clasp her hand and squeez it softly. He looked up and saw her smile at him. She squeezed back.

"McGee?"

"Hmm?"

"Everything will be allright."

"I hope so, Abby. I really hope so." Abby's happy-go-lucky attitude really amazes him. How she manages to keep her spirit up through times like this was beyond him. He wished he could be half as confident as she was, or sounded like anyway. McGee was confident about one thing however : things couldn't possibly get any worse.

When they got inside the car he turned to her and asked, "Abby, what now?"

"We already talked about this McGee," Abby replied while playing with her nails, "If you don't want to do this, nobody's forcing you."

"You know I won't let you do this alone, but Abby, this isn't a game. It's dangerous. Way dangerous, and even if we survive that country, we'll surely lose our jobs or... worse."

"I know that McGee."

"Gibbs won't be happy."

"We'll buy him coffee once we get there."

He sighed again after he failed to change Abby's mind, but he had to try, for now was their last chance to change their minds. Well, it didn't work, he concluded, not that he expected it to. "Pasports ready?"

"Yeah. So tell me, what do you think of a blond me, McGee?"

Yeah, definitely amazes him and she manages to do that every day.

"And don't forget to stop for a CAFF-POW on your way to the hospital.

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

To Tony's surprise, the door wasn't locked and his exit was smooth. It was dark and he dragged his feet along the wooden floor quietly, careful not to emit a loud sound that would give him away.

"Going somewhere?"

Tony froze in his place, then his shoulders dropped. He turned slowly to stare at the figure sitting in the far dimly-lit corner, recognizing beforehand, it was Gibbs. He shrugged carelessly, a brash smile played on his lips, but his eyes, Gibbs observed, were gazing hard at the weapon laying harmlessly on the table in front of Gibbs.

"Well, since you're not going anywhere, why don't you sit down and we could have a little chat."

For a moment, Gibbs was sure Tony would decline and turn back, but he didn't. He shrugged again and made his way to Gibbs. Sitting down, the two men just stared at each other for a long moment before Gibbs decided to break the silence. Taking a long sip of the cup of coffee he held, Gibbs began.

"You do remember your name, don't you? With the way you respond to it..."

"So?"

Gibbs shifted in his seat. "Do you remember anything about your past, Tony?"

'That question again.' Tony glared at him long and hard. "I remember...some stuff."

"What stuff do you remember? Tell me, I could help you remember more."

"Why are you so riled up about it?" Tony didn't like where the conversation was going and he made sure Gibbs knew how he felt.

Gibbs had to mentally remind himself to stay cool. "I already told you, I was your friend in the past, and Tony, believe me, I still am. I came here for one reason only and that's to rescue you and take you home."

Tony looked shamefully unconvinced. "Took you all that time to get here, huh? The problem though is that I don't remember home, and I certainly don't remember you."

Gibbs shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Tony. We didn't know where to look. We had no lead on your whereabouts, no witnesses, no nothing. But we never gave up. We kept trying for the past four years, and when we finally succeeded, I came straight here to get you out."

Gibbs tried hard to put as much feelings in his words as he could, he wanted, 'needed' Tony to believe him. His eyes traveled to Tony's and beckoned him to trust him, to believe in him.

"Listen Gibbs, that is your name, isn't it?" Tony said, running a hand through his untidy locks, "Anyway, you really sound truthful and all, but if I learned anything from ...that place, it was to never trust anybody. You see, I've been through this before. I had guards and inmates tell me they were going to help me and get me out, but the truth was, they only wanted something else, which I'm sure will be the case here too."

Gibbs's response was grim silence followed by a slow reach for the gun on the table, causing Tony to frown.

"Memory, or no memory, you're still a pain in the neck, DiNozzo."

"So, now you're going to shoot me?"

"As tempting as it sounds," Gibbs leaned to whisper in Tony's ears, "No. I'm sticking to my story."

Tony pulled away violently, then, when Gibbs made no threatening moves, he managed a shaky smile. "Suit yourself, not like it's gonna make any difference," He shrugged trying to cover his shaky state, "So, where did the old man and the beard guy go?"

Gibbs didn't miss Tony's reaction, but decided to ignore it. Straightening, he pointed to a room across the corner. "Martin is taking a nap, and Steven is out fishing for news."

"It's late, maybe you should get some rest too," Gibbs added pointedly, "You never know when we'll be on our way." He decided that pushing it was not the best way right now, it will only complicate things further.

Tony's attention snapped suddenly toward the small window at the far end. He stood, and without a word went to stare down at the empty street from the closed window. Staring at his back, Gibbs noticed a slight shiver run through the younger man as realization of his freedom finally hit him. Tony murmured something softly and Gibbs had to step closer to hear it.

"I'm really out..out of that place! This is incredible!"

"I'll make sure you never go back, Tony," Gibbs promised. Tony turned to face him, his eyes clouded with doubt, then the doubt slowly dissolved into a rare true smile that brightened his sunken face for the first time since his rescue. "You really got me out. I don't know how, but you did."

Gibbs nodded, thinking that at that moment Tony looked like a pleased little child.

"Hey Gibbs, I could really trust you now, if you do one thing for me."

"And what's that?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"Let me walk outside this door." Tony's sentence was accompanied by a wide charming smile that reminded Gibbs so much of the old Tony.

"No can do Kid, Sorry. It's quiet dangerous outside and I don't trust you to take care of yourself right now."

"Come on! How can I trust you if you don't trust me? Be a sport, let me walk away."

"No."

"Five minutes only then! I'll be back before you know it"

"No."

"Fine," Tonny grumbled, "At least we're even: I don't trust you, you don't trust me."

A smile threatened to crawl its way to Gibbs face; Tony's grumbiness was somehow reassuring. Whatever they've done to Tony, they haven't broken his spirit, and that thought was comforting enough to lighten Gibbs mood.

"At least let us agree on one thing. What say you, we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" Tony didn't seem at all surprised by the suggestion.

"You and I work together, as a team, to get out of this mess. You don't want to get caught again, or do you, Tony?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"Answer me."

"Of course not."

"Here you go! I don't want you to get caught again either, which means we finally agree on something," Gibbs sounded pleased, "Let's work together, at least until we're a safe distance away from those goons that are after you, then we'll dwell on that trust issue of yours all you want, how about it, DiNozzo?" His eyes, laced with hope, traveled to his former agent's face.

Tony looked thoughtful for a moment before his careless smile returned to his lips. "Sure thing, Gibbs. Whatever you say."

Gibbs eyed him doubtfully, "So, we have a deal?"

Tony nodded too quickly, confirming Gibbs's suspicion all too well. He sighed, and it was that moment Martin chose to exist his room. Rubbing his eyes and yawning widely, the old man waved a greeting hand their way. "Howdy, Boys!"

"Slept well?"

"Don't I always?" Martin smiled at his long-time friend. "Stevie back yet?"

Gibbs shook his head. "You think we should worry?"

"Naah," Martin offered as he poured himself a cup of cold coffee from the pot Gibbs filled earlier that day, "He'll be back."

Gibbs nodded.

"So, how are you feeling now, Kid? Any better?" Martin asked eyeing Tony with a steady gaze.

"I'm fine."

"Good," Martin seemed pleased, "Jethro, you look like hell. Go get some rest, you'll need it."

Gibbs opened his mouth to argue, then changed his mind. Martin was right, he needs all the rest he could get. "I'll do that." Gibbs then frowned pointedly at Tony.

"I'll take it from here," Martin assured his friend. "By the way, this coffee is good!"

"Umm.." Tony interrupted meekly. Both men turned to stare at him. "You do have a bathroom here, which I'm allowed to use, right?"

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**


	3. Chapter 3

**To Trust Again**

**Part 3**

The airport wasn't crowded with people as McGee hoped; It was almost deserted, which contributed to his nervousness even more. As planned, he and Abby came seperately, as to not attract attention. Faze one was safely over. Scanning the area swiftly, it didn't take him long to spot Abby. With her flashy dress, blond hair and rather unique makeup, she all but attracted everyone's attention. McGee prayed silently for the day to end without disaster. Unlike Abby, McGee's disguise wasn't at all catchy. Except for the colour contact lenses, the glasses, a handful of hair gel, a fake mustache and an old-fashioned hat, he looked almost the same.

When they announced their flight, Abby, walking briskly, headed towards the check-in counter. McGee held his breath, expecting the woman examining Abby's papers to yell for the police any second. But she didn't; no more than a bored check over, and Abby walked away without further complications. McGee sighed with relief.

After the second announcement, McGee stood up, took a much needed deep breath, and followed Abby's steps, his hand stretching out with his ticket and passport, when...

"Agent McGee!"

McGee froze, and silently prayed for this to be a dream, only it wasn't. His hand returned to his side; the young agent turned around to face the man who was, for the past week, his tormentor. He gulped audibly.

The tormentor smiled as he examined McGee's appearance. "Gee, for a second there I thought I was mistaken. You do look different, McGee."

"I uh ... "

"New look for the ladies?"

"I umm... "

The man stepped closer. "Let me tell you, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into," he whispered, so only McGee could hear.

Shaking his head, McGee waited for the inevitable. Here it was, his nightmare playing all over again. Now he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars; well, at least he'll take it as a man. With that thought in mind, McGee straightened his back and looked at the man defiantly.

"I have to confess something," the man continued whispereing, ignoring McGee's reaction completely, "You see, the truth is, I've always admired your loyalties to each other. It's really amazing how you stand by each other at times like this."

McGee looked puzzled.

"Well now, you have yourself a nice flight," The man stepped away, smiling.

"Huh!" McGee was shocked.

The man winked at him. "I'll tell you what, since I'm here on an unofficial business, I'll pretend I didn't see anything. Oh and say hi to Special Agent Gibbs for me when you see him, will ya?" With that the man turned and simply walked away, leaving a dumbfounded McGee behind.

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

"Just so you know, the door is locked and the key is well hidden, and the windows are all barred and locked as well," Martin explained.

"Thanks for the info."

Martin ignored him and headed for the kitchen to make himself an omelet. "You hungry?"

He wasn't but food was something he learned to never say no to, so he nodded. Martin disappeared into the kitchen.

Once again alone, Tony looked around, examining the small shack with conflicting emotions, then he walked back to the window, to stare down at the still street. The sun was just beginning to rise, painting its way with dreamy golden streaks, which held him captivated for a long moment. He closed his eyes, and finally allowed his mask to drop. The careless-sarcastic look he wore vanished and replaced by a look of pain and pure anguish. What was happening to him? His mind began to torment him with thoughts and questions, which really scared him. He long ago ceased to care, to feel, to think about what was happening in the world around him. His mind was crouched safely in a nice faraway place, a place that was easier to stay in and a lot less painful. But this strange situation that he was somehow thrown in, managed to snatch him away from that better place. And the pain, had already begun to crawl back to his mind.

His hand began to shake, just like they did in front of Gibbs. He hated showing signs of weakness. He especially hated showing weakness in front of Gibbs. Gibbs? Who was he anyway? And why is he keeping Tony around? What did he plan for him? He looks different than the others, but Tony knew that he will turn up to be just like them. It was dangerous to trust him. It was dangerous to trust anyone, and he learned that the very hard way. But, there was this strange feeling that assaults him whenever he looks in Gibbs eyes. A feeling he can't identify, but one that was scaring him the most. He wished things could go back to the way they used to be, where his mind was at merciful rest, and everything seemed unreal.

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

Gibbs laid on the bed, eyes closed but unable to sleep. Thoughts were racing in his mind, causing him a headache. He was doubting himself and his ability to succeed in getting both Tony and himself out of this mess. How will he get past all those men and escape the country, and most importantly, how will he convince Tony to trust him? True, he was informed before he got Tony out about the young agent's condition, but he was almost confident Tony would remember him. He was wrong, very disappointed and most of all angry. Angry at those who kidnapped Tony and those who hurt him, and he was more angry with himself for letting Tony down. Tony looked like hell. When he was unconscious, Gibbs and Martin examined him for injuries. His whole body was covered with ugly bruises, cuts, and strange bites. What horrified Gibbs more were the severe whipping marks on his back and chest along with the various needle marks on his arm. And Gibbs didn't want to think about what he didn't know. Tony looked different, thinner, paler and nothing like the radiant-full of life Tony he once was. Gibbs was sick with worry about him, but he can't do anything about it right now. He willed those thoughts out of his mind, but they were instantly replaced with thoughts about the rest of his team back home. How was Ducky? Did something happen to Abby and Gibbs? He has to contact them as soon as possible. And the thoughts kept pouring in, pushing sleep farther and farther away.

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**


	4. Chapter 4

**To Trust Again**

**Part 4**

Ducky was thumbing, absent-mindedly, through the pages of some medical magazine which he asked Catherine the nurse for yesterday. He wasn't reading it, but the familiar and repetitive act of flipping the pages was strangely comforting. It helped take his mind off the recent unfortunate events that haunted him and his team.

Quiet knocks on the door alerted the old doctor and snapped his attention away from the magazine. Was it already time for his medication? But he knew no nurse would wait for his permission to enter, so it must be a visitor.

"Come in, please" Ducky invited. He knew that McGee and Abby were supposed to be on a plain right at that moment . Did something go wrong? Ducky was instantly worried. He prayed that no bad news would come, and he also prayed that the visitor wasn't that annoying detective coming back to question him again about Gibbs wherabouts.

The door opened, and a young woman stepped hesitantly in. A beautiful woman she was, tall, big blue eyes and chestnut shoulder length hair.

"Hi Doctor Mallard?" She greeted then added shyly, "How are you feeling?"

"Well Hello there young lady, thank you for inquiring about my health, but as you can propably guess, I had better days."

She smiled. "I guess you didn't remember me, but I didn't expect you to, afterall, we only met once and it was four years ago."

"I'm sorry," Ducky eyed the woman standing in front of him through his glasses, "I don't seem to remember, would you mind reviving this old memory of mine?"

"My name's Angelica. Angelica Todd. We met at my sister Kate's funeral four years ago."

"Yes, of course, please pardon my ignorant memory, Miss Todd. It's definitely a pleasure to meet you again," Ducky beamed.

"Thank you," Angelica said nervously, "Are you, by any chance, free, Doctor?"

"Yes, of course! Please sit down."

Angelica sat down rather quickly, but only awkward silence followed as she struggled to find the right words. Ducky cleared his throat and said politely, "What can I help you with, Miss Todd?"

"I came here to ask you about Agent Gibbs and Agent DiNozzo."

Ducky was surprised. "Miss Todd, why ..."

"Please call me Angelica."

"Angelica, I .."

"No, please listen to me," Angelica interrupted him again, "Just tell me first, are they innocent of the crimes they are accused of?"

"Of course they are innocent, but..."

"Then please listen to me," Angelica took a deep breath before continuing, "I think I can help them...and you."

Ducky paused to eye her doubtfully.

"I know this sounds crazy," She began to tap her bag nervously, "but I really think I can."

"How do you think you can help us, Angelica?"

"I'll tell you, but, I need to hear the whole story."

"What story?"

"I need you to tell me how it all started. Tell me everything, from the very beginning, because Doctor Mallard, I think I put my hand on the real cause of your troubles. "

"... !"

**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**

"SIR! SIR!"

Gibbs snapped awake with a jolt, reaching instinctively for his gun, as he pushed himself upright."What's happening?" he demanded.

Steven looked at him with urgency. "They're sweeping the area. I don't think we've got enough time, they'll be here any minute."

"You're supposed to be here hours ago!" Gibbs snapped.

"I'm sorry, I was held up."

Gibbs was already striding toward the door. "Tony?"

"Martin's waking him up."

A moment later the two were joined by Martin and a dishevelled Tony.

"Steve, Go bring the bags!" Martin ordered. Steven nodded and took off in a run.

"Jethro, ..."

"No Martin, you've done enough. I'll handle it from here," Gibbs cut his friend off.

Martin shook his head. He guided Gibbs to a far corner where they were out of Tony's earshot. Although Tony's curious eyes followed them, he didn't.

"Gibbs, you don't understand how complicated things could get."

"I have a pretty good idea."

"Listen Gibbs, the kid might be a tough case to handle. Hell, you saw the needle marks on his arms! He told you they've been drugging him everyday and for God knows how long! You know what this means, don't you?"

Gibbs remained silent.

"Dammit Jethro, he's very likely to be addicted to whatever drug they've been bumping into him. And if you don't know what that means, I'll tell you. It means he's very likely to go through withdrawal, which he might not survive. You can't handle that! Not right now!"

Gibbs frowned, "I'll handle it."

Martin shook his head again. "You're as stubborn as you used to be!"

Steven returned a minute later with two bags. "One with arms and ammunition, and the other with food," Martin explained as Steven handed the bags to Gibbs.

"Thank you."

Steven leaned forward to whisper in Gibbs ears. "Sir, I want to help."

"You've done enough. I don't want to get you involved anymore than you already are."

"But!"

"No buts," Gibbs pushed him roughly away, "This is my problem now, and mine only."

Suddenly, they could hear the sound of a rampus coming from outside. "From the back hurry!"

Gibbs, dragging a frowning Tony, ran for the exit, pausing briefly to collect the two hay-hats offered to him by Steve. He wore one quickly and threw the other over Tony's head, and pulled it down so half of his face was hidden.

"Look down," Gibbs ordered as he pulled Tony and hid behind the first wall he saw. Gibbs made sure they were not watched before he pushed Tony and both took of running away into the dusty road ahead.

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Tony stumbled but Gibbs hauled him back to his feet, and ordered him to continue running. They stopped when they neared an open market. "Look down," Gibbs warned again as he pushed Tony ahead. Both walked slowly across the market, both looking down. With their tatty clothes and hay hats, they blended well with the peasants. First, their steps were hurried and nervous, but when time passed by and no threats loomed, they slowed down a little. Gibbs never relaxed his grib on Tony's arm, as both continued to make their way further across the cheap market.

A sudden foreign shout coming from behind, jolted Gibbs into alarm. Tony's steps faltered but Gibbs hissed in his ears to keep walking. The shout came again, louder this time, and Gibbs risked a half backward glance. A guard, wearing a green uniform, caught his gaze and shouted again. There was no mistake about it, he meant them. Two other guards joined the first and began to walk their way with firm steps. They had both stopped, Tony turned back to look at Gibbs, his eyes full of fear he could not hide.

"Run! Now!" And Gibbs didn't have to push him this time, Tony took off running as soon as the the first letter came out of Gibbs's mouth.

The fact that the guards were shouting angrily behind them before deciding to run after them, only fueled their speed.

"Don't stop!" Gibbs panted the order as the market disappeared into naked desert ground. They kept running.

Tony suddenly came to a hault, nearly tripping in the process.

"Dammit!" Gibbs hissed as four other guards blocked their way ahead forcing them to a stop. The situation got worse, as the previous three guards finally joined them, panting with exhaustion. Four in front of them, three behind them.

No way out! Gibbs's mind raced feverishly, for a plan. One guard shouted something that sounded like an order as he and the others trained their guns on both Tony and Gibbs.

Tony took shaky steps backward, and Gibbs had to hold him still, fearing he was about to do something foolish.

The guard shouted again, this time pointing an accusing finger at Tony. Stepping instinctively in front of his friend, Gibbs faced the guard, who looked like the leader of the group, with a challenging glare.

Again the man showered him with the same foreign ranting, that resulted in no reaction from neither Gibbs nor Tony. The men tensed, their fingers dancing over the trigers of their guns.

This was bad and to respond, to react, was the only way Gibbs could think of that'd buy them enough time.

Still standing in front of Tony, yet having a strong hold on his wrist, Gibbs shook his head at the leader. "I don't understand. Can you speak english?"

Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Gibbs' head was feverishly turning left and right, searching for a way out. On his left there was nothing ahead but stony ground. On his right...Gibbs eyes narrowed. Few feets on their rights, there was a cliff, or so it seemed from that distance. But it was dangerous, impossible and crazy too, for even if they miraculously managed to get themselves to that cliff without getting fatally shot, what waited for them at the end of that cliff would propably be giant hard edged rocks that would break their bodies along with their heads into pieces. So that leaves them what?

A young guard whispered something in the leader's ears, and the leader nodded.

"This man," The young guard spoke in english as he pointed at Tony, "Is a prisoner. He escaped 2 days ago. You help him escape, you be killed with him. Surrender now and you might live."

That leaves them no choice but to surrender. Gibbs raised his head to respond, but stopped when he felt Tony stiffen.

"I ... don't want ...to go...back." Although the words were said softly, Gibbs heard them clearly. Slowly he turned to glance at Tony, and as soon as he saw the terror and lost in Tony's eyes, Gibbs made his decision. There was no way, he'd let Tony go back to that place. He promised him and Gibbs was determined to keep that promise.

"You are making a mistake," Gibbs addressed the guards calmly, "You see, I know this man, he's ..."

But the next thing Gibbs did was to turn around without warning, grab Tony by both arms and haul him toward the cliff, then use his own arms and body to cover Tony from any bullets that may come flying their way as they ran as fast as they could toward the desperate hope ahead, not looking back even once.

Once they reached the cliff, and before Tony could make a move or look down, Gibbs smashed into him, hugging him from behind, then pushed both their bodies toward the mysterious destiny that awaited both of them below.

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	5. Chapter 5

**To Trust Again**

**Part 5**

Gibbs, with both arms around Tony, shifted his body so that the first encounter with the cliff's edge was with him. His right arm took most of damage, and as pain shattered Gibbs's senses, only sheer will prevented darkness from claiming his mind. Gibbs had vaguely heard the sickening sound of bones breaking, and he dimly wondered if the sound belonge to his bones or Tony's.

They tumbled down, rolling against the stony and, sometimes, grassy edges of the cliff.

As the initial surprise wore off, the guards moved and soon enough, bullets rained down, their aim to tear the rolling bodies of the two men below.

They were rolling too fast for Gibbs to concentrate. His and Tony's world came in and out of focuss in a blinding speed. Stones connected with their bodies, sometime scratching, sometime bruising, and sometime breaking whatever part it hit. Gibbs heard Tony groan, gasp and scream in pain countless times before one of the stones connected with Gibbs's head hard, finally allowing darkness to come and claim his mind. Gibbs lost consciousness a second before Tony did. Their lifeless bodies kept rolling and rolling until finally coming to a stop at the bottom of the cliff, but neither man was conscious to notice.

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"Now what?" McGee questioned Abby two hours after their arrival. They were sitting in the bar of the hotel they rented their rooms at. He had ordered a diet coke and Abby a glass of water.

"Just a minute," Abby replied as she searched her handbag for a piece of paper. They both had taken a shower and changed into more comfortable clothes. And McGee had made sure this time that they were not attracting attention. They got rid of their disguises, to McGee's relief, before they left the airport.

McGee looked around, bored, trying to find something to attract his attention. Something did. A big, broad shouldered man was pulling a crying woman roughly behind him. Ugly bruises covered the woman's face, her dress was torn, and one of her heels was missing.

McGee frowned in distaste, and felt anger rise deep inside him. He was about to react, since no body else bothered to, when Abby's cry stopped him.

"I found it! Yes!"

"Huh!"

"Martin Jackson's number, remember?"

"Yeah," McGee scratched his head, "You think Gibbs's with him?"

"Well, why don't we call and see?" Abby flashed him one of her famous smile and stood to do just that.

McGee shook his head, then he remembered the hurt woman, and his head snapped around to look for her, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

**TBC**

**P.S. **Please let me know what you think. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Are you interested in more? I'd love to know what you thought about the story so far.

-Someone asked about more Tony angst, and believe me, there's lots of that coming soon

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